Battery



March, 18 1924.

, W. BALDERSTON A'mimf 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Aug. l1.

'III/1.11100 'EL/22mm Zff March 18 1924. 1,487,430

' w. BALDERSTON BATTERY Filed Aug. `l1. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ,Q5 Q m T Patented Mar. 18, 1924.

UNITED STATESI 1,487,430 PATENT OFFICE.

BALDEBSTOIL- F MADISON, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNR TO FRENCH BATTERY CARBON C0., 0F MADISON, WISCONSIN, .A CORPORATION GI WISCONSIN.

BATTERY.

Application med August 11', 19421. Serial No. L5191,415.

To all whom t may concern.'

Beit known that I, WILLIAM BALDERs'roN,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Madison, in the county of Dane and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and useul Improvement in Batteries, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates articularly to a plural cell dry battery; and the primary obw ject is to provide a cell-holder and adapt the 'same to use in a suitable container, such as a lantern-casing, the construction and arran ement being such that the cells may be rea ily introduced into the cell-holder and is automatically established in circuit when so introduced, and, further, such that when the cell-holder is introduced into the container, the circuit is automatically established between the cell-holder and the container.

The present application is directed to a modification of the invention set forth in my application No. 491,268 led of even date herewith. p

The present invention is embodied, in its preferred form, in an electric lantern shown in the accompanying drawing, in which- Fi 1 represents a broken vertical sectiona view of a lantern provided with a casing containing an improved cell-holder Fig. a0 2, a horizontal section taken as indicated at line 2 of Fig. 1; Fi 3, a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing t e cell-holder removed, the cell-holder being represented by dotted lines, however; Fig. 4, a perspective view of the improved cell-holder; Fig. 5, a perspective view showing the contacts and connections of the construction shown in Fig. 4f.; and Fig. 6, a view similar to 5, but showing a modified arrangement o ontacts and connections.

In the illustration given, A represents the casing or container of an electric lantern which is su ported on a spider A and which is provid with a bottom Aa and with a top closure A8; B, the improved cell-holder; and C, C, dry cells mounted in the holder B.

The casing A is provided in its lower ortion with an insulation disk 1 s aced a ve the bottom A2. The disk 1 is tted on its upper side with a central metal disk or contact 2 with which is connected a conductor 3 which leads to the central contact of the lamp d. The disk is further equipped on its upper side with a metal ring or annular contact 5 which is connectedby a conductor 6 with a contact 7 mounted on the vertical wall of the container A. Another conductor 8, which may be grounded at the base or spider Af, forms the other outlet for the lamp 4. The conductor 8 is connected with a switch 9, the slide-button 9a of which may be moved into contact with the contact-point 7 to complete the outside (lamp) circuit.

The cell-holder B preferably comprises a pair of vertical side walls 10 which are of insulating material, a rear vertical wall 11, and top and bottom walls 12 and 13, respectively, constituting the ends of the cellholder. All of the walls described may be of hard liber, or other suitable sheet insulating material. The walls are rigidly connected together by angle-plates 14:.

The cell-holder B, as shown, is adapted to accommodate four dry cells. Inthe arrangement shown in Figs. 4 and 5,`the cells are automatically connected in serieswhen they are inserted intothe cell-holder thru the open front side of the holder. The bottom wall 13 is equipped on its lower side with a central spring contact 15 which is adapted to engage the central contact 2 of the lanterncasing, and the wall 13 is further equipped on its lower side with a spring contact 16 which is adapted to engage the annular contact 5 of the lantern casing. On the upper side `of the bottom wall 13 is a spring cellcontact 17 which is electrically connected with the contact 16. When a cell is disposed above the contact 17, the current passes thru the cell to an upper spring cell-contact 18 which is secured to the lower surface of the top wall 12 and is disposed directly above the cell-contact 17. From the contact 18, a conductor 19 leads to a rear lower cell-contact 20 which is dis sed immediately back of the contact 17. en a cell is in position abovey the contact 20, the circuit passes therethru to an upper rear cell-contact 21 which is located directly back off the contact 18. From the contact 21 a conductor 22 100 leads to a rear lower spring contact 23 which is secured to the inner surface of the lower wall 13. l

When a cell is in position above the contact 23, the circuit passes therethru to an 105 upper rear cell-contact 24 which is secured to the lower surface of the top wall 12 and is disposed directly above the contact 23. From the contact 24 extends a conductor 25 which connects at its lower end with a low- 110 er front cell-contact 26 which is disposed directly in front of the contact 23n `When a cell is in position above the contact 26, the circuit passes therethru to an upper front cell-contact 27 which is secured to the lower surface of the top wall l2 and is disposed directly above the contact 26, From the contact 2'?, a conductor 23 leads to the lower end of the cell-holder and connects with the central external contact 15c Thus, it will be seen that in the arrangement ci contacts and connections shown in Fige 5, the cells will be therethru to upper contacts 33 and 34, from which leads a conductor 35 which connects with a pair of lower cell-contacts 36 and 37, When a pair of cells are in position above the contacts 36 and 37, the circuits pass therethru to a air of upper contacts 38 and 39, from whic a conductor ad leads to the bottom of the cell-holder and connects with the external central contact, or outlet-contact, 29,

It will be understood from the drawings and from. the description given that the lower cell-contacts 17 and 20 are in alignment from front to rear, The saine is true with respect to the upper cell contacts 18 and 2l which are disposed, respectively, over the contacts 1.7 and 2()e In the same manner, the contacts 26 and 23 are in alignment from frontgto rear of the cell-holder, and the contacts 27 and 24 are, respectively, above the contacts 26 and 23., Four dry cells may be introduced into the holder with the bottoms of the zinc containers resting on the lower cell-contacts and the carbon-poles engaging the upper cell-contacts, so 'that the cells arefautomatically established in circuit uponwinsertion. When the cell-holder is loaded witlrcells, it may be introduced into the container A, and the outlet contacts 15 and'l of the cell-holder will engage the central contact`2- and the annular contact 5 of the container, thereby automatically connectingf' the cells with the external (lamp) circuitc The cell-contacts, in conjunction with the walls of the cell-holder, will suciently rctain the cells in position to enable the cellholder to be introduced into or removed from the container A. If desired, however, some additional retaining means may be em- Menace strips having their end portions suitably secured to the contact members,

F rom the description given, it will be understood that the cells may be introduced into the cell-holder by lateral movement ol the cells; that no special construction ot the cell is necessary to enable the cells to be properly established in circuit and maintained in position; and that the cells may be removed with great facility to enable them to be replaced by fresh cells. Moreover, the cell-holder is simple of construction and may be cheaply manufactured.

The construction described is simple, durable, permits of easy insertion yand removal of the cells and insures against improperly connecting the cellsb ln practice, the cells are preferably inserted with the bottoms of the zinc containers resting on the lower cell-contacts., Il desired, tor any reason, the cells may be reversed in the cell-holder, however. lt is understood, of course, that the cell-contacts of the holder preferably are so spaced with relation to the vertical walls ci' the cellholder as to correspond with the vertical axes of the cells when the cells are introducedD V The foregoing detailed description. has been given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood. theretroma What l re ard as new, and desire to secure by Letters atent, isw 1. In combination, a cell-holder comprising side walls, a back wall, and end walls fixedly joined together, said stucture being open at its front side to admit cells one of the end walls being equipped with external outlet contacts, airs of lower cell-contacts mounted'on the inner surface of the bottom wall, the members of each pair bein aligned from front to rear of the cell-hol er, pairs of upper cell-contacts secured to the inner surface of the upper end wall of the cellholder, the members being disposed, respectively, above the members of the pairs of lower contacts, and elect-ric connections whereby dry cells introdud into said holder are automatically established in circuite 2e ln combination, a cell-holder comprising apair of side walls and upper and lower end walls ixedly 'oined together, a pair of lower s ring cell-contacts secured to the inner sur ace of the lower end wall near the lower end of each 'side wall, a. pair of upper spring cell-contacts secured to the inner surface of the upper end wall near marcan front to rear alinement, conductors connect;-V

ing some of said cell-contacts so that the cells are automatically established in circuit when introduced into the holder, and external outlet contacts secured to one of said end walls and electrically connected withsome of said cell-contacts, said outlet contacts being adapted to engage the contacts of and become automatically connected with an external circuit.-

3. In combination, a cell-holder comprising a pair of side wallsand upper and lower end walls lixedly joined together, pairs of lower spring' cell-contacts secured to the inner surface of the lower endwall, the members of each Apair bein aligned from front to rear of the cell-hol er, pairs of uppr s ring cell-.contacts having their memrs isposed over the corresponding lower cell-contacts, conductors connecting some of said contacts, external oulet spring contacts connected with one of sa-id end walls an'l electrically connected with some Aof said cell-contacts, and pairs of d cells in said holder, the construction an arrangement being such that the cells may all be intro# duced thru the open front side of the holder and automatically established in circuit when so introduced.

4. ln combination, a. cell-holder comprising a pair of side walls and upper and lower end walls fixedly joined together, a pair of lower cell-contacts and an external outlet contact electrically connected together and secured vto the bottom Wall, a second pair of lower cell-contacts secured to the bottom wall and electrically connected together, a first pair of upper cell-contacts secured to the upper wall and electrically connected together, a conductor connecting said lastnamed contacts to the second named pair of lower cell-contacts, a second pair of upper cell-contacts electrically connected together, a conductor leading from said last-named pair of cell-contacts to the bottom of the older, and an external outlet contact electrically connected with said last-named conductor.

WLLIAM BALDE-RSTN. 

